March 28, 2010 – A day that will go down in infeebliosity

Well, Episode 1 – Camp Farquiddity has gone up at the website. As of today we have four episodes pretty much completed. I was going to do a one-episode-per-week mad rush with adrenalin surges and a side order of craziness as our modus operandi but Cormac “Mr Sensible” Cossar said we should have four or five up our sleeve in case we get behind.

Which is smart. A little too smart …

Anyway, of the four in the can, this is by far and away the crappiest. When I first saw the footage we had I thought it was pretty much unsalvageable, and as I had already screwed up Day One with the microphone nonsense, I was a bit forlorn.

But it came back from being amazingly god awful to something god-awful lite. Given it was made by four people in a basement, without a great deal of experience, talent or cocaine, it is … still crappy.

There is plenty to comment on … the wide shots which should have been much, much tighter; the loose acting which should have been much, much gooderer, the focusing, the continuity, the model work.

But the making has been the thing. Oh how I love to hear the laughing lilt of IT workers as they do take after take of me getting hurt or injured, however slightly, in whatever ways they can come up with. Mr Cossar, Mr Tashkoff, I salute you. Pricks.

Anyway, yesterday being a Saturday we did the seatbelt scene for Episode 5 and then did Dobbo the Australian Robotic Service Enterprises online help which was done by Chris Nixon.

Back, many years ago Mr Nixon was one of the stars of a Massey University Drama Society production of, as I recall, Trelawney of the Wells. Nowadays he baffles clients with his brilliance or some other b word at the NZIER where he specialises in economics for animals, or something.

I dragged him in based on his ability as a former MUDS feature player and he didn’t disappoint. First he went out and paid for a tee shirt because I had forgotten the Aussie one I was going to get him to wear. Then, when he didn’t get his second piece to camera right until well after the 27th take, he courageously kept going. Now that’s determination for you! Next time, he’ll just have to LEARN HIS FECKING LINES!! OK, so I didn’t send them to him till the morning of the shoot. Is that an excuse? I mean, he’s an economist for goodness sake!

On the Friday Cormac and I had fun dropping Scone in a Can on each other. A real can as well. With the label done by Steven Qian. Many takes on Cormac’s nude nut. Commitment, that’s what we’ve got. We’re picking up that talent stuff next week from the dairy.